Socceroos striker Tomi Juric will be sidelined for up to six weeks with a knee injury that has forced him out of next week's World Cup qualifier against Thailand.
But the in-form forward, who has scored twice in the final phase of qualifying, is unlikely to play again until February.
Juric was ruled out of next Tuesday's important match in Bangkok on Monday night after limping off eight minutes into his match for FC Luzern in Switzerland on Sunday.
"Four to six weeks on the sideline to recover from Medial Ligament damage I suffered in our last game at home to Young Boys! I'll be back stronger!!" Juric tweeted.
4-6 weeks on the sideline to recover from Medial Ligament damage I suffered in our last game at home to Young Boys! I'll be back stronger!!
- Tomi Juric (@tomijuric9) November 8, 2016
Scans confirmed ligament damage to his right knee, meaning the in-form 25-year-old out of club action for an extended period.
Surgery won't be needed, but taking into account the Swiss Super League's long Christmas break he probably won't play any minutes until February.
Luzern's final fixture of the year is against Sion on Dec. 11 and their first game back on Feb. 4 against Lausanne.
In the unlikely worst-case scenario, Juric could be in a race against time to regain match fitness for Australia's next set of qualifiers against Iraq and the United Arab Emirates in March.
In the short term at least, it leaves Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou down on attacking options with Tim Cahill already left at home with muscle soreness in his Achilles.
Axed China-based striker Apo Giannou has been handed a reprieve in place of Juric, though Brisbane striker Jamie Maclaren must be considered the frontrunner to start given he has regular game time and has been scoring in the A-League.
Thailand are last of the six teams in Group B and arguably the most straightforward challenge thus far, especially given the Socceroos' extended 10-day preparation in Bangkok.
Yet it's also an important match to win if second-placed Australia hope to keep pressure on leaders Saudi Arabia and third-placed Japan at the halfway point of the final phase, with only two qualifying automatically for Russia 2018.
With the last players arriving in Bangkok on Tuesday the entire squad will undergo their first session together at SCG Stadium on Wednesday.